Motion picture film



Dec. 19, 1933. G. LANE MOTION PICTURE FILM UDDUDUGDUUGDUU DD U D DUUUUUDUUDDDUUUU Filed Aug. 6. 1931 DUDE Patented Dec. 19, 1933 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE MOTION PICTURE FILM Application August 6,

7 Claim.

This invention relates to a motion picture film for use in thepreparation of sound pictures of which hand-drawn cartoons or the likeare a type.

In the production of sound motion pictures, it is usual to record thesound on one film strip and the corresponding picture on another filmstrip, the mechanism for feeding the films being synchronized so thatboth fihns feed at ex- 10 actly the same speed in order that when bothrecords are printed on the same film strip and the resulting stripprojected, the two will be timed correctly. How accurately such picturesand sound must be synchronized to produce a most pleasing eifect may bejudged from the fact that in actual projection, only two frames out ofsynchronism, that 'is, if either the picture or the sound lag behind orare in advance of the other, this maladjustment is plainly noticeable.

The above difiiculty is particularly acute in the synchronization ofsound with drawn cartoons, where a figure or figures must assume aparticular position or posture corresponding to a certain definite beator beats of the accompanying sound, whethersuch sound be music,articulate speech or other audible noise.

The principal object of the invention is to make possible the accuratecombination of sound 30 and picture records so that when the two areprojected, they will be synchronized as intended,

I and particularly to assist the artist in arranging his drawn figuresso that they will correspond with the proper portion of the sound recordand thus produce a pleasing effect.

It has been the practice heretofore for the artist to draw his series ofpictures, trying to keep roughly in mind the music which is to accompanythe same, and to photograph these cartoons onto a film strip. This filmwas then projected on a screen while the orchestra or other source ofsound recorded their music or sound, making every attempt to adapt theirtempo to the projected picture. It has been found that upon simultaneousprojection of these two records, many inaccuracies exist.

These inaccuracies or malsynchronized portions of the sound then had tobe corrected with consequent excessive waste of film, delay and addedcost in production. It also-has the disadvantage of requiring the artistto arrange his figures according to a very regular or even tempo inorder to assist the musicians in following the proiected.series ofpictures. As a result, it is not possible to play the music with correct1931. Serial No. 555.395

musical feeling, for in many instances the tune to accompany thepictures must have portions of increased or retarded tempo if maximumdesirabie effects are to be produced.

The present invention contemplates the reversal of this prior practiceby first recording the music, played without exact relation to thepictures which are to be later associated therewith, the music or soundbeing played or made according to correct musical feeling.Simultaneously with the playing of this music, the inventioncontemplates photographically recording on another or the same filmstrip on which the music is being recorded, visual synchronousindications of the beat or beats of such music, together with the numberor position of each particular beat in its musical measure. There isthus produced as a result of this procedure a single fihn or two filmsas the case may be, containing not only a sound track record of themusic but visual indications of the beatsof such music or sound and theposition in a musical measure of any and all of such beats. Thus, byviewing this beat film, a cartoonist is able to draw his picture sothata figure or figures will assume the desired position or posturecorresponding to a particular beat of the music as it actually occurs onthe film, and arrange the same or other figures in between these land-'marks or beat positions to properly fill the gap. The cartoonist orartist is, therefore, enabled to accurately position his figures on afilm strip so that they correspond exactly to a given beat or soundwithout any of the inaccuracies in synchronism heretofore existing.

The invention, therefore, contemplates a single film strip containingvisual indications of 'sound beats and the position of such beats in amusical measure. This film may or may not contain the film track recordof the, music corresponding to any particular beat.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically a film produced according to thisinvention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic front view of a device for producing the filmshown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 shows a modified form of film.

Referring now with particularity to the film shown in Fig. 1 and itsmethod of production, there is provided a board or background upon whichare arranged a series of semaphore or ,movable arms, each adapted to bemoved independently of the other to and from what may be termed a beatposition. These arms may preferably be of a color contrastingphotographically ,a beat position.

with the baclojrround over which they move and in the beat position tobe located adjacent or contiguous to a color area preferablyphotographically same the color of the arm. There may be provided asmany semaphore arms as there are beats in the measure of the music beingrecorded, although this is not essential. As the .struinentalities oithe semaphore arms and t operating mechanism may take many forms, is notthought necessary to show this structure in detail, particularly as noclaim is made thereto this application.

The semaphore board having been set up in proximity to a moving picturecamera, the orchestra plays the music to be associated with the picturesin proximity to a sound recording device synchronized with the movingpicture camera for photographing the semaphore board. It is to beunderstood that the visual recordation of these sound beats, that. is,of the semaphore arms in'their different positions, and the recording ofthe sound may be made on a single film simultaneously and synchronously,which film is shown-in Fig. 1, or they may be taken on separate filmsand later combined.

The orchestra or other source of sound plays its music, the beatindicator operator keeping accurate time synchronously therewith, byproper movement of the semaphore arms. It is contemplated, in order tofacilitate the reading of the film by the artist, that the 1novement ofeach arm will be restricted to the indication of corresponding beatpositions in diiierent musical measures, although this is not essential,nor is it necessary that there be the same number of semaphore .-s thereare beats in a measure of the music being recorded.

-Fig. 1 shows a portion of a film made by phi)- tographing a semaphoreboard where one of the semaphore arms has been moved to and from In theframe indicated at l, the semaphore arm of which the image is shown at 2is in a non-beat position. The second frame indicated at 3 shows the 2approaching a color area or stop 4 and indicates an intermediateposition or incomplete beat, while frame 5 shows the arm 2 adjacent orcontiguous to the stop 4 and in the completed beat position. The arm maybe made to move over this restricted path by any suitable mechanism.Frame 6 indicates the arm as having left the color area or stop 4 returnstroke and frame '7 shows the arm 2 returned to its initial or nonbeatposition. In the particular modification shown, the music has been:i'aithfully recorded on the sound track 8, while the arm was beingoperated.

When this film is developed, the artist by consulting the same and themusic which to b combined with the pict' ..es, knows that i. cparticular measure esented bi'y" frame rat the fourth beat, instance,was complete at that point. If story he to have, for instan an hit overthe head with a club in synonr the sound at. that beat, he knows tparticular ent each other. of the drawn frame 3 or 6, wither of thosefollowing por He knows that this relat figures must not st or? for thebeat is not c.

mpl ie points. By closely Sui e1 'tlons of the film, similarly he thengoes to beat 1 of the next we are, heat 2, beat 3, beat 4 and so on. Tohim in determining whether the intermediate position of the arm 2 andits color area 4 as shown in frame 3 is approaching a completed beatposition or leaving the same, the line 9 is provided on the semaphoreboard which has a pointer 10 arranged thereon which indicates to himthat his eye should follow the film in the direction of the pointer 10,in order to find the next completed beat. As an artist frequently has towork with a film in which the end is not visible, this permits him tomove the film in a proper direction to find the next or any particularbeat. This line 9 also indicates which symmetrical group of arms liewithin a single frame.

In Fig. 3 a semaphore board is diagrammatically illustrated, showing amodified form of indicating a beat. This instrumentality may consist ofa board 11 having a series of slits 12 therein, back of which apermanently burning light is located, these slits being normally coveredby arms 13. As shown, upon suitable movement of the appropriate arm 13,one of these slits may be uncovered with the result that the light backof the same will show up on the film of Fig. 2 as a contrasting patch14. This form of mechanism may be desirable in some instances much lessmovement of a semaphore arm will cause the uncovering and recovering ofa slit. (this results in minimizing the intermediate beat positions on afilm and may even be restricted to a single frame as shown in Fig. 2,the other frames at which the heat was not complete being without anyindications whatever, whereas in moving an arm such as shown in Fig. 1to a position contiguous to its stop or color record, due to theQIlQFitt-I-I extent of movement, mechanical difilcuities prevent thismovement from the nonboat to the completed beat position beinginstantaneous.

Various positions of the arms, the arms themselves and the indication 14may either be made by lights, contrasting patches of color or in any wayto produce a visual photographic effect on the film.

In determining the exact frame number in a length of film where anyparticular beat occurs, the film is usually run through device having aVeeder counter, all of which is well known. In this way, the artist maysee, for instance, that the indication 14 on the film of Fig. occurs atframe 1234 as indicated by the counter and he may, therefore, provide apicture numbered 1234 in its location on the picture strip showing theappropriate position the figures corresponding to that particular beatand that particular beat position in the musical measure.

While in Figs. 1 and 2 a distance between nonand full beat positions isshown to be three s, yet actually any number of frames may between thesetwo extremes, depending upon the speed of the camera or theinstantaneousness of the beat indicator.

I claim:

1. A motion picture film having on each of certain frames thereof aphotographically recorded mark in a definite predetermined position,indicating a sound beat, and other photographically recorded marks inother definite predetermined positions in the same frame indicating withthe first mark the number of beats in a musical measure of which thefirst mark indicates one.

2. A motion picture film, having on each of certain frames thereof twophotogra'phically recorded marks in definite predetermined relation toeach other, indicating a sound beat, and other photographically recordedmarks in other definite predetermined positions in the same frameindicating with the first marks the number of beats in a musical measureof which the first marks indicate one.

3. A motion picture film having on each of certainframes thereof twophotographicaliy recorded marks contiguous to each other, indicating asound beat, and other photographically recorded groups of two separatedmarks, indicating with the first marks the number of beats in a musicalmeasure, of which the contiguous marks indicate one.

4. A motion picture film comprising a group of successive framesincluding one frame having thereon a. photographically recorded mark ina definitepredetermined that position the completion of and other marksin sitions, indicating with the first the number of beats in a musicalmeasure of which the first mark is one, and other frames in the groupshowing said mark approaching and leaving said predetermined completesound beat position.

5. A motion picture film comprising a group of successive framesincluding one frame having thereon a photographicaliy recorded mark in adefinite predetermined position indicating at that position thecompletion of a sound beat, and other marks in definite predeterminedpositions, indicating with the first the number of beats in a musicalmeasure of which the first mark is one, and other frames in the groupshowing said mark approaching and leaving said a sound beat,

position indicating at.

definite predetermined popredetermined complete sound beat position, anda photographic sound track record of the musicai tones created at thatbeat, at the side of said frames.

6. A motion picture film comprising groups of successive frames, onegroup including a frame having thereon a photographicaily recorded markin a. definite predetermined position indicating at that position thecompletion of a sound beat, and other marks in definite predeterminedpositions, indicating with the first mark the number of beats in amusical measure of which the first mark is one, and other frames in thegroup showing said first mark approaching and leaving said predeterminedsound beat position, and succeeding groups of frames showing the firstmark moved to another position, and succeeding other marks moved intopredetermined sound beat position.

'1. A motion picture film comprising groups of successive frames, onegroup including a frame having thereon a photographically recorded'markin a definite predetermined position indicating at that position thecompletion of a sound beat, and other marks in definite predeterminedpositions, indicating with the first mark the number of beats in amusical measure of which the first mark is one, and other frames in thegroup showing said first mark approaching and leaving said predeterminedsound beat position, and succeeding groups of frames showing the firstmark moved to another position, and succeeding other marks moved intopredetermined sound beat position, and a photographic sound track recordof the musical tones created at each beat, at the side of said frames.

GEORGE LANE.

